Here are a couple of late ones I missed. Three weeks ago Eyal Stein was awarded the "A" badge. He is 14.5 years old. Grant Rice got his "A" and "B" badges.
- Tom M
Sunday was not a good day for student solos and therefore only supervised flights were allowed. The most interesting flight was with Frank Dimeo. Frank managed to get up into the 'streets' with a 5K tow and reluctantly came down in the 2-33 after a 1 hour 10 minute flight. The real reason that Frank was advised to return to the airport was not because he had a flight that could have continued for some time longer; the flight instructor in the back seat was getting a little 'cold.' This was October flying at it's best....in August!!
Dave Zlotek
Saturday featured decent soaring with cloudbase around 5000 feet near Sterling. Going North I found a good climb right at Jaffrey airport with 5 1/2 knots on the averager to 5500 feet. Mike Baxa reported that he was near Tanner - Hiller and I headed that way thinking the sky looked better behind me. I found absolutely nothing going up from that point and landed at Gardner. Just as I discovered that there was nobody around to help me move the glider back to the end of the runway Gerry Bell landed in a Pilatus. Thanks Gerry! We pushed both gliders back while awating the aero-retrieve.
Sunday was windy with strong thermals but cloudbase at 5500 feet, exactly the type of conditions where a high performance glider makes all the difference. I would have been doing well to get to Gardner in the PW-5. As it was I struggled a bit with some difficult areas of sink north of Gardner and turned back and ran for the airport once. Concequently it took an hour to get to Jaffrey. From there it was an easy run to Keene arriving at 3500 feet. A great thermal right over the airport back to cloudbase and then 30 miles down wind without circling to near Moore AFB. Three or four turns in a good thermal there leaving at 4500 feet and then around Moore and glide at 80 to 90 knots back to Sterling. Amazing!
Mark Koepper ASW-20 MK